Easy street

[Serving Zion]

I say it because belief in God is dependent on personal experiences, and is not open to being rigidly tested. The Bible is the only source that the believer has when determining their beliefs, and the Christian is deterred when investigating the claims of the Bible outside the Bible.

There is really nothing outside the Bible that proves the veracity of it's claims, and the believer has to depend on the Bible alone. It was when I looked outside the holy scriptures for evidence I ran into trouble. Any belief system that is telling you not to trust anything or anyone outside itself is isolating you so you remain subservient.

It's actually much bigger than that though. This world is not getting along, even though it should be able to. There is a reason for that.

The bible is the writings of the ones who knew God and served Him in His interest to fix the matters, but as you say rightly, most of the ones who take it up end up being casualties or causing more chaos.

But is that who Jesus really is, or, would you agree that there's something going very wrong in the way people are handling the bible?

I like to quote Ghandi: "I like your Christ but I don't like your Christians".. That's fair. But the main point is that the scriptures were written by people who understood the problem, and they wrote in such a way as to pass on that knowledge .. While also guarding the knowledge. Most people don't really get the knowledge of the scriptures though.

This is how Jesus said "you study the scriptures diligently, thinking that you have life by them, and yet the scriptures testify of me and you refuse to come to me that you may have life!”

.. While He also said "I am the good shepherd, who opens the gate and the sheep go through to the sheep pen. The ones who do not go in through the gate but climb in some other way.. they are thieves and robbers. They are nothing more than that."

So I'm not going to push harder on you now. I saw you come close to the gate and I was hoping you would remain with us, but you've gone back to your miserable old self and I know that applying pressure isn't going to help.

It's sad, but I suppose all I can do is wait for Him to draw you back some other way

 

[AntiCrash]

It's actually much bigger than that though. This world is not getting along, even though it should be able to. There is a reason for that.

The bible is the writings of the ones who knew God and served Him in His interest to fix the matters, but as you say rightly, most of the ones who take it up end up being casualties or causing more chaos.

But is that who Jesus really is, or, would you agree that there's something going very wrong in the way people are handling the bible?

I like to quote Ghandi: "I like your Christ but I don't like your Christians".. That's fair. But the main point is that the scriptures were written by people who understood the problem, and they wrote in such a way as to pass on that knowledge .. While also guarding the knowledge. Most people don't really get the knowledge of the scriptures though.

This is how Jesus said "you study the scriptures diligently, thinking that you have life by them, and yet the scriptures testify of me and you refuse to come to me that you may have life!”

.. While He also said "I am the good shepherd, who opens the gate and the sheep go through to the sheep pen. The ones who do not go in through the gate but climb in some other way.. they are thieves and robbers. They are nothing more than that."

So I'm not going to push harder on you now. I saw you come close to the gate and I was hoping you would remain with us, but you've gone back to your miserable old self and I know that applying pressure isn't going to help.

It's sad, but I suppose all I can do is wait for Him to draw you back some other way

"Miserable old self" Not true, I've never been so content, so sure of myself ever. I am now at a level of peace that was worth all the pain that religion inflicted upon me.

 

[AntiCrash]

But there is just one thing left undone.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Knowing Jesus came down to three thing's to me

1. How I interpret the Bible
2. How I understand experience
3. How the above two effects my thinking

I was very thorough about Bible interpretation, to my own detriment it seemed. I would struggle with many parts of the Bible where God is savage.
I tried to put it in some context, that God's love had a good reason to do terrible things to us, but it just made me more confused.

The experience's behind the faith that I had left me in a constant flux of instability. Nothing I experienced had the grit to hold me down, it was a long period of time where I was just fitting in random circumstances as act's of the spirit.

Lastly the effects these things had on my mind left me with serious mental illness. Which now is almost a non issue if I stay away from magical thinking.

Wow. Your story kind of sounds like mine. Only it's different.

...so, what was your approach to interpretation, may I ask?

 

[aiki]

When I used to believe in Jesus and follow his teachings I struggled with so many problems.

Such as?

But I kept believing even though the problems grew worse,

Believing what, exactly?

and there didn't seem to be any relief.

What sort of relief were you expecting?

I searched the Bible for answer's to my problems but it didn't solve them.

Really? I find the Bible has more answers than I know what to do with! If there isn't some specific command or guideline, there is always some spiritual principle that I can follow.

I couldn't work out why thing's got difficult, I couldn't work out why I was struggling as a Christian.

Struggling with what, precisely? It's very hard to speak usefully to your situation when you're so vague about it. I will say this, though: When you're going with the current you don't feel its force. It's only when you stop going with the current, when you refuse to be carried along by it any longer, that you feel its full power against you. This can be a disconcerting thing, to be sure! But the answer isn't to fight it on your own, but to draw close to God and depend upon Him to be your strength.

Surely Jesus was there, but where was the joy, where was the love of his spirit, where was the peace he promises, where was the strength I needed.

Where indeed? Often, before we can feel the joy of the Lord, He must convict us and purify us. If we resist Him in this, He will begin to feel a long way off. Is there some area in your life where you are digging in your heels, where you know you aren't right with God but refuse to submit to Him and forsake sin? Holiness is vital to fellowship with a holy God.

 

[aiki]

I was very thorough about Bible interpretation, to my own detriment it seemed. I would struggle with many parts of the Bible where God is savage.
I tried to put it in some context, that God's love had a good reason to do terrible things to us, but it just made me more confused.

God was savage? How so? He was certainly severe - harsh, even, at times - but I don't think "savage" is a particularly accurate description of God. Typically, God commanded Israel to attack a neighboring nation if it was an established enemy of Israel. Usually such a nation had attacked Israel first, often killing Israelites and so defying their God. Many of these nations were also deeply involved in incredibly perverse and heinous pagan rites, human (that is, child) sacrifice being a common one. These nations were not innocent victims of a bloodthirsty God, but often were being judged by God through the military assaults of His Chosen People. Does God not have the right to judge the creatures He has made? Does He not have the right to take away as well as give life?

God is not solely a God of love. He is also just, and holy, a hater of evil and a wrathful Judge of it. If you thought God was only love, it's no wonder you were confused!

The experience's behind the faith that I had left me in a constant flux of instability. Nothing I experienced had the grit to hold me down, it was a long period of time where I was just fitting in random circumstances as act's of the spirit.

Superstition has no place in the life of a Christian. "Fitting in random circumstances" is just that: superstition. Instead, God calls us to operate on the basis of His truth, wisdom, commands and spiritual principles that He sets forth to us in His word, the Bible. Experiences have their place, but never ought they to trump God's word. Too often Christians are wanting a "sign" from God, some proof, that He is there and who He says He is. His word is not enough; He must appeal to their natural sensuality, too, and make them thrilled, and excited, and emotionally high if they are to trust and walk with Him. But this is a sure road to spiritual exhaustion and disillusionment. God is not found in emotion; He is not discovered by winding up one's feelings; He is encountered in His word and in the conviction, illumination, strengthening, and comfort of His Spirit.

Lastly the effects these things had on my mind left me with serious mental illness. Which now is almost a non issue if I stay away from magical thinking.

"Magical thinking"? How about biblical thinking? How about setting aside all the bizarre hyper-pentecostal nonsense floating around the Christian world these days and living in the quietness and confidence that Scripture says is the Christian's strength. You don't need to see the Holy Spirit in every bush, in every gust of wind, or passing butterfly. If you're truly one of God's children, His Spirit is within you convicting you of sin, illuminating God's word to you, comforting you in times of trouble, and strengthening you in moments of temptation. This is what you should expect of a relationship with God, not "magical thinking."